Dredge



F. J. JOYCE Nov. 14, 1967 DREDGE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Feb.15, 1961 INVEN 0R.

Nov; 14; 1967 F. J. JOYCE 3,352,035

7 DREDGE Original Filed Feb. 15, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fla-12 IN V ENTOR.

United States Patent 3,352,035 DREDGE Francis J. Joyce, Morris Plains,NJ., assignor to National Bulk Carriers, Inc., New York, N.Y., acorporation of Delaware Continuation of application Ser. No. 89,455,Feb. 15, 1961. This application May 12, 1964, Ser. No. 369,651 2 Claims.(Cl. 37-54) This application is a continuation of application Ser No.89,455 filed Feb. 15, 1961, now abandoned.

This invention relates to a dredge for removing material from the bottomof a watercourse in order to deepen the channel of the watercourse. Moreparticularly, but not by way of limitation, the present inventionrelates to a floating dredge which is provided with an elongated boomstructure and a discharge pipe supported by said boom structure fordischarging dredged material from the dredge to the adjacent bank of awatercourse.

In removing silt, mud and other sediment from the bottom of awatercourse in order to deepen or clear a channel in the watercourse, itis, of course, necessary to have a suitable location for the depositionor storage of the material which is dredged from the bottom of suchchannel. In previously existing types of dredges, three methods ofdredged material disposal have most frequently been employed. In somedredging operations, the dredged material is discharged into bargesstationed alongside the dredge for later transportation to a convenientlocation for ultimate disposal of the material. In other dredgingoperations, the channel being dredged lies closely enough adjacent tothe shoreline of the watercourse to permit the dredged material or spoilto be discharged through an elongated pipe to the adjacent shore. In yetother types of dredging operations, the shorelines are too far removedfrom the dredging site to permit discharge of the spoil to the shore andthe spoil is, instead, deposited in tanks or hoppers located in the hullof the dredge and later is unloaded from the hoppers at a suitabledisposal location.

In dredges of the type which are equipped to permit the dredge spoil tobe discharged through a discharge pipe to the adjacent shore, it hasgenerally been the practice in the art to support the discharge pipe ina horizontal position by means of a flexible line or cable extendingdiagonally downward to the end of the pipe from a vertical boom or kingpost located upon the deck of the dredge. As has been indicated, suchconstruction functions well enough when the channel being dredged liesrelatively close to the shoreline of the watercourse, but due toinherent limitations in the length of the discharge pipe which can be sosupported, this method of disposing of the dredge spoil cannot beutilized when the channel being dredged lies at any substantial distancefrom either shore of the watercourse. A further disadvantage resides inthis type of dredge construction in that the necessity of providing atall, vertical member extending upwardly from the deck of the dredgelimits the maneuverability of the dredge in watercourses which arefrequently crossed by bridges and the like.

The present invention contemplates a dredge construction which permitsthe dredged material to be discharged to the shores adjacent thewatercourse where the dredge is operating, even though the shorelines ofthe watercourse are removed from the channel being dredged by asubstantial distance. In one of its broader aspects, the dredge of thepresent invention comprises a hull upon which is pivotally mounted ahorizontally extending rigid boom, a discharge pipe supported by, andsubstantially coextensive in length with, said boom, and means mountedon said hull for pivoting said boom and discharge pipe about a commonvertical axis. The pivotal axis of the boom is "ice adjacent one of itsends and by the employment of a suitable counterweight at said one end,the boom may be made of sufficient length to extend from the channelbeing dredged to a shoreline well over three hundred feet distant fromthe channel.

The invention also contemplates the compartmentation of the hull of thedredge into suitable hoppers so that the dredged material may bedischarged either through the elongated, horizontal discharge pipe to anadjacent shore, or may be deposited in one of more of the hoppers, asdesired. The arrangement of the dredge pumps and their associated pipemeans is such that the discharge from a plurality of dredge pumps may becombined and directed into the elongated, horizontal discharge pipe.

A specific embodiment of the present invention comprises an elongated,horizontal boom of triangular cross section through which extends adischarge pipe which is supported by and movable with the boom. Thedischarge pipe and boom are supported upon a rotating ring structurewhich is, in turn, carried by heavy rollers. The rollers are supportedupon a fixed supporting structure mounted upon the main deck of thedredge and extending downwardly into the hull thereof. The dischargepipe is provided with a suitable joint which permits it to rotate withthe supporting boom about the same rotational axis. The rotation of theboom and discharge pipe is effected by an electrically driven Windlassand a large chain con nected between the rotating ring and the Windlass.A plurality of hydraulically operated brakes restrain the movement ofthe boom and its associated structure when the boom is not beingrotated.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a dredge from whichdredged material may be discharged to a shore which is remotely locatedwith respect to the channel being dredged.

An additional object of the present invention is to permit materialbeing removed from the bottom of a watercourse by a dredge to bedischarged into hoppers located on the dredge, or, alternately, to bedischarged to the adjacent shore.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a dredgingvessel with a horizontally extending discharge pipe and a rigid boomsupporting said discharge pipe, which boom and discharge pipe may befreely rotated through degrees to permit discharge of dredged materialto the port or starboard bank of the watercourse where the dredge isoperating, and to facilitate the fore and aft alignment of the boom anddis-charge pipe when it is desired to permit other vessels to pass toport or starboard of the dredge.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an elongated,horizontally extending discharge pipe through which the combineddischarge from a plurality of simultaneously operated dredge pumps maybe discharged to the shore adjacent the dredge.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a dredge fordischarging dredged material to the shore adjacent the watercourse inwhich the dredging operation is being conducted, which dredge is ofrelatively inexpensive construction, durable and trouble-free inoperation, and more versatile than previously existing types of dredges.

A still further object is to provide a method for continuously dredginga Watercourse in spite of currents, winds, traflic, and the presence orabsence of an on-shore location for depositing the spoil.

These objects and advantages will be better understood, and additionalobjects and advantages will become apparent, uponreading the followingdisclosure in conjunction with a perusal of the accompanying drawingswhich illustrate the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a view in elevation of a dredge carrying the elongated boomand discharge pipe of the present invention. The dredge is provided withtwo outboard and two inboard dredge pipes, and the starboard, outboarddredge pipe and the port, inboard dredge pipe are shown in theirlowered, dredging positions. Midship hoppers for receiving dredgedmaterial are illustrated in dashed lines.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the midships portion of the dredge with theboom removed to more clearly illustrate the boom supporting structure onthe main deck of the dredge. Portions of the conduits for carryingdredged material are illustrated in dashed lines.

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the second deck of the dredge showing thelocation of hoppers and dredge pumps.

FIGURE 4 is a lower plan view of the boom and discharge pipe as theyappear When viewed from below.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along line 55 of FIG. 4.

FIGURE 6 is an upper plan view of the boom end.

FIGURE 7 is a detail view showing the manner in which the driving chainis secured to the rotating ring structure.

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view taken along line 88 of FIG. 2 and showingthe rotating ring structure, and also the stationary supportingstructure secured to the main deck of the dredge. Portions of the boomand discharge pipe are illustrated in dashed lines.

FIGURE 9 is an upper plan view of a quadrant on the rotating ringstructure as the ring structure appears when viewed from above.Protective cover plates have been removed to better illustrate theskeletal structure of the ring.

FIGURE 10 is a lower plan view of a quadrant of the rotating ringstructure showing the ring structure as it appears when viewed frombelow.

FIGURE 11 is a sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 10. Aroller and a section through the stationary supporting structure havebeen added to illustrate the manner in which the rotating ring structureis supported upon the stationary supporting structure by means ofrollers.

FIGURE 12 is a sectional view taken along line 12--12 of FIG. 10. Aroller and a section through the stationary supporting structure havebeen added.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, and particularly to FIG. 1,reference character 10 designates generally the hull of a floatingdredge. The dredge carries a pair of outboard dredge suction pipes 12and a pair of inboard dredge suction pipes 14. Davits 16 of a suitabletype are provided on the main deck of the hull 10 to facilitate thelowering and raising of the dredge pipes 12 and 14 to and from theiroperative positions.

Approximately midships of the dredge, a stationary supporting structure18 is secured to the main deck of the dredge and constitutes a raisedcircular platform extending upwardly from the main deck. A rotating ringstructure 20 is rotatably supported upon the stationary supportingstructure 18 by a plurality of large rollers described in greater detailhereinafter. An elongated, horizontally extending boom 22 is securednear one of its ends 24 to four pedestals 26a, 26b and 28a and 28b whichare in turn firmly attached to the upper surface of the rotating ringstructure 20 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). A counterweight 30 is secured to theboom 22 at its end 24 adjacent the rotating ring structure 20. Theelongated boom 22 supports a large discharge pipe 32 which extends fromthe rotating ring structure 20 to and beyond the outboard end 33 of theboom 22. As will be evident from FIGS. 1 and 2, the discharge pipe 32includes a gooseneck 33 which passes downwardly through the rotatingring structure 20 and the stationary supporting structure 18, andemerges from the forward side of the stationary supporting structure 18from which point it extends forward on the main deck along the centerline of the dredge. In addition, the outboard end of the pipe 32 hasanother upturned gooseneck 35.

For the purpose of turning the rotating ring structure 20 relative tothe stationary supporting structure 18, a suitable Windlass 34 having achain-engaging wildcat 36 at its upper end is utilized to drive ananchor-type chain 38 which passes around the periphery of the rotatingring structure 20 and is stopped ofi at its ends by means of suitablechain stoppers 40 (see FIG. 7) located on the forward side of therotating ring structure 20 when the boom is positioned in its fore andaft position as illustrated in FIG. 1. It will further be noted inreferring to FIG. 8 that the periphery of the rotating ring structure 20is provided with spaced pairs of chain-engaging studs 42 which functionto support and guide the chain during movement of the rotating ringstructure 20.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, in addition to FIG. 3, it will beperceived that the present invention contemplates the disposal ofdredged material by discharging it through the elongated discharge pipe32 or by directing it to a plurality of hoppers 44 located approximatelymidships of the dredge. It should also be noted that the discharge fromany or all of the dredge pipes 12 and 14 may be combined for unitarydischarge through the discharge pipe 32 or into the hoppers 44. Thus,suction through the inboard dredge pipes 14 is developed by means of thetwo dredge pumps 46 which are driven by a common prime mover 48 andwhich discharge through individual conduits 58 into a common dischargeconduit 52. The common discharge conduit 52 is connected at itsdownstream end to the discharge pipe 32 and to port and starboard hopperconduits 54. The port and starboard hopper conduits 54, as well as thedischarge pipe 32, are provided with suitable valves 56 so that thedredged material in the common discharge conduit 52 may be directed intothe dis-charge pipe 32 for ultimate discharge to a bank of the streamadjacent the dredge, or alternately, may be directed into one or more ofthe hoppers 44 located in the hull 10 of the dredge. At the forward endof the common discharge conduit 52, individual discharge conduits 58branch from the common discharge conduit and pass downwardly through themain deck to the two dredge pumps 60 used for developing suction throughthe outboard dredge pipes 12 and driven by a common prime mover 62.

The structure of the elongated horizontally extending boom 22 isillustrated in greater detail in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. As shown in FIGS. 2and 5, the boom comprises a hollow framework which is generallytriangular in cross section, and which is formed by a pair of parallellongitudinal structural members 64 extending along the lower side of theboom, a third structural member 66 forming the apex of the boom, and aseries of transverse members 68 interconnecting the lower members 64with the upper member 66. The discharge pipe 32 extends through the boomand is supported upon cradles 72 secured to the cross brace members 70which interconnect the parallel longitudinal members. Suitable diagonalstructural members 74 interconnect the transversely and longitudinallyextending structural members and are illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4. Atits inboard end 24, the boom 22. is secured to and supports a largecounterweight 30.

The details of construction of the rotating ring structure 20 and thestationary supporting structure 18 are illustrated in FIGS. 1, 9 and 10.The stationary supporting structure 18 comprises an annular wall portion76 which is interconnected to a central hub 78 by a series of radialgirders 80. The girders 80 are in turn braced and supported by aplurality of annular stanchions 82 spaced radially along the girders 80from the hub 78. On the forward side of the stanchions 82 along thecenter line of the ship, apertures are provided in the stanchions topermit the discharge pipe 32 to pass therethrough. The discharge pipe 32passes into the hub 78 through an apert'ure in its forward side andthencurves upwardly to pass out through the top of the hub in the mannerillustrated in FIG. 8. The discharge pipe 32 is provided with a swiveljoint 83 in the gooseneck 33 adjacent to the top of the hub '78 topermit the portion of the discharge pipe carried by the boom 22 to pivotfreely relative to the hub 78 when the boom is pivoted.

The rotating ring structure 20 is rotatably journaled on the hub 78 ofthe stationary supporting structure 18 by means of suitable bearings 84.The ring structure 20 comprises an annular hollow wall member 86, acentral nave portion 88 journaled on the hub 78, a series of girders 90(see FIGS. 9 and radiating from the nave portion 88 and interconnectingthe nave portion with the hollow wall member 86, and radially spacedseries of braces 91 interconnecting the girders 90. In order to enhancethe structural strength of the ring structure at the points Where itdirectly supports the boom 22, four pairs of large girders 92 inback-to-back relation extend radially from the nave portion 88 to thewall member 86, intersecting the latter member at its four points ofsupport of the longitudinal members 64 of boom 22. This arrangement ismost clearly illustrated in FIGS. 8 through 10. As these figures of thedrawing further illustrate, radially extending shoulders 94 are built upon the outer periphery of the annular wall member 86 to provide 'a largebase platform for supporting the forward pedestals 28a and 28b and theafter pedestals 26a and 26b, which pedestals in turn support the boom22.

An annular track 98 is bolted to the lower side 99 of the annular,hollow wall member 86 of ring structure 20, and an oppositely facingtrack 100 of substantially the same dimensions as track 98 is bolted tothe upper surface 101 of the annular wall portion 76 of stationarysupporting structure 18 so that a series of rollers 102. may beinterposed between the rotating ring structure 20 and the stationarysupporting structure 18. As shown in FIG. 11, each of the rollers 102carries a pair of terminal circumferential flanges 104 to enable it tobe guided by the tracks 98 and 100 as the rotating ring structure 20 ispivoted.

In order to permit the rollers 102 to be removed from between therotating ring structure 20 and the stationary supporting structure 18for replacement or repairs, the lower side 99 of the annular, hollowwall member 86 is provided at one or more points with an aperture 106(see FIGS. 10 and 12), and a removable section 98a of the upper track 98is bolted to the upper surface of the lower side 99 of hollow wallmember 86 as shown in FIG. 12. The vertical sides 108 of the hollow wallmember 86 are also apertured (not seen) at locations adjacent theapertures 106 in the lower side so that the rollers 102 may be removedtherethrough when desired. Suitable removable cover plates 110 areplaced over the apertures in the vertical sides 108.

Operation When the dredge arrives at the side of the dredging operation,one or more of the dredge pipes 12 and 14 are lowered by means ofd-avits 16 to the operative position shown in FIG. 1. The correspondingdredge pumps 46 and 60 are then actuated by their respective primemovers to apply a suction through the dredge pipes to the bottom of thechannel being dredged. The material which is dredged from the bottom ofthe channel then passes upward throug from the bottom of the channelthen passes upward through the dredge pipes which are in use and isdirected through the individual conduits associated with each of thedredge pumps into the common discharge conduit 52. The combined dredgedmaterial passes through the common discharge conduit 52 into either thedischarge pipe 32 or the hopper discharge conduits 54, dependent uponthe setting of the valves 56 located in these conduits.

The boom 22 of the present invention is a horizontally extending, rigidstructure of great length which may be directed toward a shoreline oneither beam or quarter of the vessel. In a preferred embodiment of theinvention, the boom 22 is well over three hundred feet in length so thatshorelines lying at some distance from the dredging operation becomeavailable for the deposition thereon of dredged material. The dischargepipe 32 is enabled by the swivel joint 83 to pivot with the boom in anydirection, and through the discharge pipe 32 is relatively flexiblecompared to the boom structure, the pipe is well supported by the crossmembers 70 of the boom and is protected by the enclosing boom againstcollision with objects which might inadverently become located in thepath of the boom.

If it is desirable to discharge the dredged material to a point on anadjacent shore, the discharge pipe 32 must first be filled while itextends directly astern. The load thus placed in the pipe is calculatedin determining the weight of the counter-Weight 30, and without theload, the vessel would list as soon as the boom swung out to the side.After loading the pipe 32, the wind-lass 34 is energized and the wildcat36 is then rotated by the windlass to apply a rotative force to therotating ring structure 20 through the chain 38. It will be noted thatthe stopping off of the chain ends at the forward side of the rotatingring structure (when the boom is aligned in fore and aft position)permits the longitudinal axis of the boom to be rotated through an arcof degrees, that is, from beam to beam of the dredge. When it isnecessary to permit other water traific to pass the dredge, the boom 22may be rotated as necessary and, of course, may be positioned in itsfore and aft position when the dredge is under way. The goosenecks 33and 35 hold the charge, or load in the pipe 32 at all times to preventinadvertent emptying thereof, and to facilitate pivoting of the boom 22.Suitable braking means (not shown), such as a plurality of hydraulicbrakes, are provided to prevent inadvertent rotation of the boom 22 whensuch movement is not desired.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that the presentinvention provides a dredge which may dispose of the dredged material bypassing it through an elongated, horizontally extending discharge pipeto an adjacent shore, or if more desirable, may deposit the dredgedmaterial in a plurality of hopper compartments located in the hull ofthe dredge. In either event, the combined discharge from all of thedredge pumps may be so deposited if desired. Alternately, a portion ofthe combined discharge may be directed through the discharge pipe to theadjacent shoreline and the remainder of the dredged material passed intoone or more of the hoppers. The construction of the elongated, rigidboom and the discharge pipe carried thereby is such that the center ofgravity of the boom and discharge pipe is located in the midships areaof the vessel. The clearance between the boom structure and the maindeck of the ship is sufliciently great that the boom does not interferewith normal operations on board the dredge.

Changes may be made in the combination and arrangement of parts orelements as heretofore set forth in the specification and shown in thedrawings, it being understood that changes may be made in theembodiments disclosed without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A self-propelled boom dredge for dredging while under way, saiddredge comprising:

(a) a hull;

(b) propulsion means for driving said hull;

(c) an elongated, substantially horizontal boom;

((1) a support mounted amidships on said hull, said boom being attachednear one end to said support to be pivotally supported to swing about avertical axis with respect to said hull;

(e) a discharge pipe extending substantially the length of said boom andsupported thereby, said pipe comprising an inverted U-pipe at the endthereof adjacent said support, one leg of said U-pipe beingsubstantially coaxial with said vertical axis and comprising a swiveljoint to permit said discharge pipe to swing with said boom, the otherend of said discharge pipe being higher than the portion of saiddischarge pipe between said other end and said U- pipe to retainmaterial in said discharge pipe;

(f) a dredge pump in said hull connected to said swivel joint to forceliquid into said discharge pipe; and

(g) a counterbalance attached to said one end of said boom to balancethe weight of said boom and discharge pipe with material therein,whereby said boom and discharge pipe with material therein may be swungabeam of the dredge without causing the dredge to list.

2. A self-propelled boom and hopper dredge for dredging while under way,said dredge comprising:

(a) a hull;

(b) propulsion means for driving said hul-l;

(c) dredge suction pipe and pumping means;

(d) hopper means in said hull to receive material from said suction pipemeans;

(e) a pivotally mounted, substantially horizontal boom;

(f) a pivotal support for said boom amidships of said hull and having asubstantially vertically pivot axis, said boom being mounted near one ofits ends on said support;

(g) a substantially horizontal discharge pipe extending along said boom;

(h) an inverted U-pipe having one leg connected to one end of saiddischarge pipe and a second leg comprising a swivel joint substantiallycoaxial with said pivot axis, the other end of said discharge pipe beingslightly higher than the remainder of said discharge pipe betweensaidother end and said U-pipe;

(i) valve and piping means to direct said material selectively into saidhopper means or through said U-pipe into said discharge pipe; and

(j) counterbalance means at said one end of said boom to balance saidboom and said discharge pipe filled with material whereby said boom maybe swung back and forth without causing said dredge to list.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 391,551 10/1888 Moxham 104-34413,091 10/1889 Riker 3759 461,193 10/1891 Murphy 37-69 799,256 9/1905Parker 37-58 883,635 3/1908 Francis 37-71 X 1,047,233 12/1912 Jackson37-71 X 2,963,801 12/1960 Ellicott 3767 3,003,611 10/1961 Pelzer 19'888FOREIGN PATENTS 14,551 8/ 1900 Great Britain. 206,607 11/1923 GreatBritain.

ABRAHAM G. STONE, Primary Examiner.

J. R. OAKS, Assistant Examiner.

1. A SELF-PROPELLED BOOM DREDGE FOR DREDGING WHILE UNDER WAY SAID DREDGECOMPRISING: (A) A HULL; (B) PROPULSION MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID HULL; (C)AN ELONGATED, SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL BOOM; (D) A SUPPORT MOUNTEDAMIDSHIPS ON SAID HULL, SAID BOOM BEING ATTACHED NEAR ONE END TO SAIDSUPPORT TO BE PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED TO SWING ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS WITHRESPECT TO SAID HULL; (E) A DISCHARGE PIPE EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY THELENGTH OF SAID BOOM AND SUPPORTED THEREBY, SAID PIPE COMPRISING ANINVERTED U-PIPE AT THE END THEREOF ADJACENT SAID SUPPORT, ONE LEG OFSAID U-PIPE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY COAXIAL WITH SAID VERTICAL AXIS ANDCOMPRISING A SWIVEL JOINT TO PERMIT SAID DISCHARGE PIPE TO SWING WITHSAID BOOM, THE OTHER END OF SAID DISCHARGE PIPE BEING HIGHER THAN THEPORTION OF SAID DISCHARGE PIPE BETWEEN SAID OTHER END AND SAID UPIPE TORETAIN MATERIAL IN SAID DISCHARGE PIPE; (F) A DREDGE PUMP IN SAID HULLCONNECTED TO SAID SWIVEL JOINT TO FORCE LIQUID INTO SAID DISCHARGE PIPE;AND (G) A COUNTERBALANCE ATTACHED TO SAID ONE END OF SAID BOOM TOBALANCE THE WEIGHT OF SAID BOOM AND DISCHARGE PIPE WITH MATERIALTHEREIN, WHEREBY SAID BOOM AND DISCHARGE PIPE WITH MATERIAL THEREIN MAYBE SWUNG ABEAM OF THE DREDGE WITHOUT CAUSING THE DREDGE TO LIST.